BBC content director Charlotte Moore says she will not “censor” writers who want to write about controversial subjects such as Jimmy Savile and Grenfell

BBC TV boss Charlotte Moore has said she will not “censor” respected writers who want to make programs about controversial subjects such as Jimmy Savile and the Grenfell disaster. In a long briefing with the media, Moore also discussed the controversy between Gary Lineker and Richard Sharp, the future of top gear, the streamers and closure of CBBC and BBC Four on linear.

The BBC’s upcoming TV dramas about serial abuser Jimmy Savile and the Grenfell fire – which killed 72 people in 2017 – have sparked widespread criticism, the latter sparking a petition to cancel it which has been backed by almost 60,000 people who have signed up so far have been rejected. .

In response to a question from Deadline, Moore said the BBC had “a strong track record” of drama about controversial issues, stressing that “it would not be right for me to take ideas from highly respected writers who have written similar subjects in the past did not censor.”

Titled the exam, the Savile drama was written by Philomenas Jeff Pope while Wolf Hall The writer Peter Kosminsky remains behind Grenfell [working title].

By grenfell, Moore reiterated that Kosminsky would not begin writing until the final investigation into the disaster had been reported, and that the show would likely not appear on screens for years.

“Drama has a place in telling these stories, especially with its emotional context and its ability to make people think about what they would have done or how they would have acted,” added Moore. “There’s a bigger story to tell here.”

Last month, Deadline spoke to several people who were abused by Savile about their experiences with the upcoming show, which will star Steve Coogan as Savile.

Financial problems

Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer in charge of television, radio and sport, was speaking to journalists as part of a BBC annual plan which revealed the company will deliver £100 million ($124 million) worth of content over the next year cut down a frozen royal and inflation is starting to bite.

TV content is “the last area to see clips,” she explained, but going forward “our production will undoubtedly be affected.”

“We have to think about how to get fit and future-proof knowing that Linear is declining,” she added. “Making decisions like this is difficult and no area is immune to budget cuts. I hope the public doesn’t notice the change [too much]. We will use our money carefully enough so that they can adapt.”

However, after Moore announced the linear closure of children’s channel CBBC and parent-friendly BBC Four last year, he refused to give a date when it would actually take place, hinting that it would not be soon.

“There will come a tipping point where it will be better for the public to spend money online,” she added. “It’s quite difficult to judge, but at the moment our channels are holding up very well.”

Until the “tipping point” comes, Moore added, it will cost more to market CBBC and BBC Four programs on the VoD service iPlayer than to keep the linear channels open and use them partly as iPlayer marketing tools to use.

Streamers also have serious teething problems, and Moore was optimistic, saying, “We can reach higher heights than many global streamers.”

According to Moore, six different BBC dramas were watched by twice as many viewers as the UK’s most watched streamer show this year.

She gave the example of happy valley, watched by 12 million people, that’s 10 million more than the Netflix drama You.

With the global recession and the blank check culture coming to an end, Moore said streamers are “growing up” and their approach to windows is changing from what it was a few years ago. “Some used to want to buy all the global rights, but that’s not really the case anymore,” she added. “Content now has lifetime non-exclusive windows and so on. It’s another change and it’s good for the manufacturers.”

controversies

Moore was also asked about several major controversies that have hit the company recently.

Referring to embattled chairman Sharp, who will issue a government report on his appointment in the coming days that could lead to his resignation, Moore said Sharp was “supportive” of her team’s activities but urged the press to “follow the assessment to look.” “. .” The Sunday times revealed that Sharp helped facilitate a loan for former prime minister Boris Johnson through an associate just weeks before his government-approved appointment in 2020, and Sharp has been on the ropes ever since.

According to the financial times, Sharp has now been shown the draft conclusions and one person briefed on the draft conclusions said the criticism made it “likely but not certain” that Sharp would have to resign. Another source told the paper the review made “bleak” reading.

On Lineker, whose recent tweet about the government’s asylum policy prompted him to resign match of the day Moore, a moderator who has sparked much debate and introspection, said an upcoming review would be “proportional to how we interact” with non-news moderators’ use of social media.

She declined to do “further game analysis” on the Lineker debacle, but said it was “fascinating to read columns in the press and see how [the episode] makes people think about the importance of impartiality.”

“[The debate] showed it as a current, relevant topic across all media as social media and social media use change,” she added.

Moore was also asked about the future of top gear after presenter Andrew Flintoff’s accident.

While recent reports suggested Flintoff was leaving the show, it seemed to leave the door open for Flintoff’s return.

“When we get to the point where he feels ready, we’ll talk about getting him back,” Moore added.

She stressed it would be “inappropriate” to keep talking while Flintoff recovers.